Rail-chair.



W. L. FINNE.

RAIL CHAIR.

APPLICATION F|L`En1uNE12,191r.

l 925396332@ Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

Iron u! i TATE@ tdlllllhllll WILLIAM L. FINNE, OF ELIZABETH, KNEW' JERSEY.

RAIL-CHAIR.

Application filed June 12, 191'?.

To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, WILLIAM L. FIN'NE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and citate of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Rail-Chairs, of which the iollowing is a full, clear, and eX- act specification.

This invention relates to rail chairs or plates for supporting railway rails on the ties to prevent wear on the tie and make the fastening of the rail more secure.

it special object of the invention is to provide an integral rail chair or plate having flanges to engage both edges of the base of the rail, the arrangement of said flanges being such that the rail will be held firmly in place by the use of spikes at only one side thereof, and the rise of that side of the rail due to a sliOht raising of the spike will be arrested by the flange on that side, so that even though the spikes should become slightly raised, there will be no danger of the rail becoming unfastened as long as the spikes remain in engagement with the tie sufficiently to prevent lateral movement of the rail. The chair or plate is provided with openings for the passage of the spikes, and said openings are made to fit snugly around. the spikes and hold their shanks against the edge of the base of the rail. The flange for engaging that edge of the base of the rail is also provided with openings or notches in vertical alinement with the openings in the plate, and said flange overhangs the base of the rail and extends some distance above the top of the head of each spike when the latter is driven home.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this specification, and then more specifically defined in the claims at the end of the descrip tion.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a plan View of a rail chair made substantially in accordance with this invention and attached tothe ends of two abutting rails.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line H-II of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III of Fin". l.

Specification of Letters Patent.

lllatented dan.. 3, thin.

Serial No. 174,381.

The rail chair or plate l is made flat with the exception of the upwardly extending lianOes 2 and 3, and the downwardly extending fins l2 which engage the top of the tie 13 to prevent said chair or plate from creeping thereon. rlhe flange 2 is formed to snugly fit over one edge of the base of the rail 5, and preferably extends the full width of the chair or plate. rlhe flange 3 stands away from the adjacent edge of the base of the rail and slightly above the same when said rail is fastened in place with the opposite edge of its base fitted snugly under the ange 2. This arrangement of the flange 3 is to permit the rail to be engagcd with the chair between its flanges by first having one edge of the base of said rail inserted below the flange 3 when the rail is tilted laterally, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that the opposite edge of the base of the rail will escape the iiange 2 when the rail is turned down again to horizontal position. Below the flange 3, a notch (i is formed in the top surface of the rail or plate l to facilitate the insertion of the base of the rail below said flange and to permit said flange to be positioned as near as possible to the base of the rail. After the rail is inserted between the flanges 2 and 3, as just described, said rail is moved laterally to bring one edge of its base to fit snugly below the flange 2. Spikes 8 are then driven into the tie through openings 80 in the plate l below the iange 3, access to said openings being had through notches 7 in said flange which also preferably extends the full width of the plate except for said notches.

The openings 80 are in line with the adjacent edge of the rail when the latter' is engaged with the flange 2, as best illustrated in F ig. 3, and said openings are of a size to snugly lit around the shanks of the spikes, so that when in position, said spikes elfectually hold the rail in this positon. Should the spikes become slighely raised under the pounding caused by heavy traffic, so that the heads of said spikes no longer hold the adjacent edge of the base of the rail firmly down upon the plate l, the rail cannot bceome unfastened because of the overhanging flange 3, so long as the Shanks of the spikes are arranged in the openings S0 to prevent lateral movements of the rail, which is necessary to release the rail from the Bange 2. After the spikes have become raised far enough to allow the edge of the rail to strike the edge of the flange 3, there will be no further tendency for the spikes to rise from contact of the base of the rail with the heads of thespilres. There is also very little danger' of the spikes being further raised by other agency because the flange 3 extends above the heads of the spikes, and even when said spikes are raised far enough to permit contact of the base of the rail with said flange 3, the heads of' the spikes will not protrude above this flange.

rlhe chair or plate l may be fastened to a tie by other spikes (not shown) driven through openings l0 in the end of the plate or chair adjacent to flange 2, and through a notch ll in the other end of said flange. A plurality of openings 10 are preferably provided in order to afford greater securing means at the end of the plate adjacent to flange 2, while a single notch ll is sullicient at the other end of the plate because of the spikes 8 which are positioned at that end.

Obviously the rail chair herein shown and described may be used at the joints between rails as well as on the ties located intermediate of such joints. rl`he chair is illustrated in Fig. l as applied to a joint, and when so used it has been found to be unnecessary to employ the usual fish plates.

Having thus described my invention, wha.; l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters latent of the United States list-- 1. A rail chair comprising an integral. plate having integral flanges adapted to overlap the opposite edges of the base of a rail, one flange being undercut sufliciently to permit the base of the rail to be inserted in an inclined position between said flanges,

there being openings through the plate and the undercut flange in line with one edge of the base of the rail when the other edge thereof is engaged with the opposite flange, and means arranged in said openings for retaining the base of the rail against lateral movement in engagement with said latter flange.

2. 1L rail chair comprising an integral plate having integral flanges adapted to overlap the oppcsite edges of' the base of a rail, one flange being undercut sufficiently to permit the base of' the rail to be inserted, when in an inclined position, between said flanges, there being openings through the plate and undercut flange in line with one edge of the base of the rail when the other edge thereof is engaged with the opposite flange, and spikes arranged in said openings for retaining the base of the rail against lateral movement and in engagement with latter flange, the heads of said spikes being below the upper surface of the undercut flange for the purpose specified.

3. A rail chair comprising an integral plate haring integral flanges adapted to overlap the opposite edges of the baseof a rail, each flange extending to both sides of the median line of' the chair transversely of the rail, one flange being undercut and having a notch in the top of the plate arranged below it to permit the base of' the rail to be inserted, when in an inclined position, be-V tween said flanges, and means for holding the rail in engagement with the other flange.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

1WILLIAM L. FINNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained 'for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

